Cymbeline (4/10): One of the weakest adaptations of a Shakespeare play.

“On her left breast, a mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops I' the bottom of a cowslip.”

It’s been over 14 years since Director Michael Almereyda and Ethan Hawke collaborated together in the modern day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classical play, Hamlet. The film was warmly received by critics despite not being the first time that a Shakespeare play was adapted to modern times without changing the original dialogue (Baz Luhrmann did the same with Romeo + Juliet in 1996). Once again Almereyda decides to leave the dialogue untouched and change the setting to modern times for the adaptation of Cymbeline. The King (Ed Harris) of a biker gangster group known as Britain is upset that his daughter, Imogen (Dakota Johnson) has fallen in love with his protege, Posthumous (Penn Badgley), who she secretly married. The two have sworn eternal love to each other, but the King’s second wife, the Queen (Milla Jovovich), has other plans for Imogen. She wants her to marry his son, Cloten (Anton Yeltsin) so they banish Posthumous from their group. Meanwhile the bikers have decided to stop paying tribute to the Roman Police Department and a war is about to breakout between the two groups. Posthumous has fled to his friend’s house where he ends up meeting Iachimo (Ethan Hawke) and tells him all about his lover’s chastity. Iachimo makes a bet with him claiming that he can seduce her and prove that she’s not as pure as he believes her to be. He meets Imogen and is unsuccessful in his approach, but Iachimo fools Posthumous into thinking he did sleep with his lover and that is where the plot begins to take several unexpected twists.

If the short synopsis of this film felt a bit convoluted, it’s because the film actually has a lot going on in the opening minutes where it’s trying to introduce the main characters in a very rushed way. The dialogue doesn’t help either if you’re not familiar with Shakespeare’s play because the delivery is extremely fast and new characters keep on coming from all over the place. It’s strange that I’m complaining about how fast everything comes at you, because the pacing does get quite tedious and I was thankful the film only runs a bit past the 95 minute mark. But that doesn’t mean that the adaptation isn’t a mess because it’s all over the place. One of the reasons why this adaptation didn’t work for me is that the tragicomedy plays out as pure tragedy here and the comedy element is missing from the film. There was no time to get to know any of the characters or their true intentions and it seemed the entire purpose of this film was being able to adapt the play in a modern setting without touching the dialogue. Something that Whedon accomplished much better in Much Ado About Nothing because he focused on the comedy more than on the action. It’s funny that I say this because I wasn’t even a fan of Whedon’s adaptation although I recognized its artistic value, but here there’s nothing that worked for me.

Shakespeare’s plays might be timeless, but that doesn’t mean that all of them can be adapted to film. Cymbeline seems to be one of those plays that don’t translate well to the big screen due to the convoluted plot. The performances in this film aren’t bad, and I like most of the actors here, but the problem for me was that the adaptation didn’t work at all. Not even John Leguizamo can redeem the film despite how well he’s played Shakespearean characters in the past (Romeo + Juliet). Ed Harris and Ethan Hawke are both extremely talented actors, but there was nothing they could do to engage me with the film.  I love Shakespeare’s plays and despite never having read this one, I still could see some of his trademarks in the characters and writing, but unfortunately I didn’t care for them in this adaptation.  

Good Kill (4/10): Interesting premise that gets lost in the repetition.

“Don't ask me if this is a just war. It's just war.”

Director Andrew Niccol has proven in the past that he’s capable of directing smart and intelligent sci-fi films like Gattaca, but he can also direct duds like The Host. Good Kill is on the one hand a unique war film because it focuses on the army’s use of drones for fighting and the effects it has on the soldiers, but on the other hand it feels very repetitive and heavy handed with the message. Ethan Hawke plays Tom Egan, a former Air Force pilot who has served on six tours, but is currently fighting from inside a bunker near Las Vegas controlling the drones like if he was playing a video game. He is fighting the war in a way he isn’t accustomed to, and the effects of each long distance kill are taking a toll on him. As opposed to his tours, he can now return home each day to his beautiful wife Molly (January Jones) and two kids. But he can’t manage to separate his comfortable life at home with his service in the bunker. He’s desperate to get back on a real plane, but his superior, Jack Johns (Bruce Greenwood) needs him to continue fighting the war from the control room. Tom begins to question the ethics of what he’s doing, and he’s also having trouble communicating his feeling to his wife whom he feels more and more distanced to. He feels like a coward at times and it’s a feeling that his new partner, Vera (Zoe Kravitz) seems to share with him. When the crew begin receiving direct orders from the CIA, his ethical questioning gains more weight and his life begins to unravel at home. 

The film opens with a very interesting premise and the first fifteen minutes are gripping.  Ethan Hawke delivers a solid role in this character study that shows the effect that the war is taking on him, but after a while everything begins to feel extremely repetitive and the story begins to drag while continuing to hammer the nail in the same place. He questions each order he receives, he returns home to his nagging wife, he drowns himself in alcohol, and the next day the same thing happens. The film lacks subtlety and it focuses on the effects that fighting a war from home has on some of these soldiers in a rather conventional way. Ethan Hawke gives a much more subtle and restrained performance than what we are used to seeing him in. He delivers a very solid performance and we see the stress that he’s going through simply by looking at the wrinkles in his forehead (which explains the use of extreme close ups on Hawke’s face). He makes this a much better movie than what it really is, but it wasn’t enough for me to recommend it. Niccol is basically criticizing the new video game style of war policy by portraying the ethical dilemma the soldiers go through. Good Kill lacks subtlety but we do see a side of the war we hadn’t seen before. 

The secondary cast doesn’t get much to do here since the film basically focuses on Hawke’s character. January Jones probably suffers the most due to the stereotypical character she has to play. We’ve seen this role of the nagging wife who doesn’t understand what her husband’s going through played out many times before. The melodrama at home is what ultimately hurts this film and drags it down. Zoe Kravitz and Bruce Greenwood have some interesting scenes, but the repetitive nature of the story becomes unbearable at times. Good Kill tries to say a lot, but it ultimately doesn’t say much. Many have compared it to Eastwood’s American Sniper, but other than the long distance killings there’s not any more similarities. Niccol focuses more on the ethical dilemma of this new approach to war, but he does it by beating the audience over the head with the same idea and through the use of  heavy dialogue. It’s as if he’s forcing the audience to interpret things his way. Niccol’s greatest weakness in Good Kill is his own script overloaded with stereotypical characters which wasted an interesting premise.  

Predestination (6/10): A great story weakened by the time traveling elements

“Let's face it. Nobody's innocent. Everybody just uses everybody else to get what they want.”

Predestination reunites the twin directors, Michael and Peter Spierig, with Ethan Hawke after their contribution together in 2009’s Daybreakers. This sci-fi time traveling film was based on Robert A. Heinlein’s story “All You Zombies” and adapted by the Spierig brothers themselves. Time traveling films can be tricky because the paradox and rules can be confusing at times, and for me it didn’t make sense logically speaking and therefor had a large amount of plot holes. Predestination is still entertaining at times, mostly when it stays away from the time traveling and the “Fizzle Bomber” subplot and centers on the narration by Sarah Snook’s character of her personal history. That was the highlight of the film for me and I actually found her story quite engaging and inventive. The resolution on the other hand left me unsatisfied and when the time traveling begins to take center stage you know what direction it is heading. The twists aren’t surprising as they try to be and you get to the resolution before the film actually does. Your appreciation for this film might depend on wether or not you buy the entire paradox of the  movie. I didn’t, so much of the resolution was unsatisfying and failed to resonate with me. I did enjoy the mid act of the film and will give the film credit for introducing an interesting narration that kept me engaged with the story. I just wished the film could’ve centered more on Snook’s character instead of wondering off in the final act and returning to the “Fizzle bomber” subplot.

Ethan Hawke gives a convincing performance as the Temporal Agent who is on his last mission trying to stop a bomber who has eluded him over the past. The sci-fi element of the film wasn’t actually my favorite, but when the film settles down in a bar and focuses on a narration and dialogue between his character and Sarah Snook’s the film excels. Sarah Snook takes the film away from Hawke and gives one of the strongest performances of the year. She was impressive and I wish the rest of the film would’ve focused on her interaction with him. Her character goes through a series of transformations and the story could’ve centered on it instead, focusing on how she dealt with her shifting identity. Instead the film introduces some of these issues only to get the plot moving and never really deals with her inner struggles. They were just pieces of a puzzle that were conveniently placed so the audience could fit them together in the end, when it actually could’ve been a one of a kind character study instead. Predestination has its high and lows, but it is worth the watch for Snook’s performance and the memorable narration that takes place in the bar. It is a great story, which unfortunately suffers from an unsatisfying ending. Looper is much more effective when it comes to time traveling, but this has an intriguing story going for it. 

My Review: Gattaca (7/10)

“I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body. You lent me your dream.”

In Andrew Niccol’s directorial debut we are invited to imagine a world where humans are categorized according to their genetic make-up. In this world, genetic engineering is not only a possibility, but a very common thing. Society now classifies people according to their DNA, and social classes are determined by it. It is not a future too hard to envision considering over history we have categorized people according to the color of their skin, their race, or their gender. Niccol creates an interesting sci-fi premise by using this sort of allegory of our society and combining it with some action and romance. I have yet to see Niccol’s Lord of War, but from what I’ve seen his debut film has been his best. He had an interesting cast to work with as well. Ethan Hawke plays the lead role, Vincent Freeman, who was born with inferior genes and therefore not expected to live long. He must settle for unimportant jobs, and no matter how hard he tries, he is unable to achieve his dream of traveling to space. Those jobs are only available for humans with superior DNA. Jude Law plays a supporting role as Jerome Murrow, a man born with perfect genes, but after suffering an accident he is left paraplegic. Vincent assumes Jerome’s identity and by deceiving DNA testings he is able to follow his dream and is assigned on a space mission. It’s an engaging premise despite some flaws, but it is much more intelligent than some recent sci-fi Niccol films.

Ethan Hawke gives a solid performance, but he doesn’t really stand out here like he has in some of his other films. The best thing about Gattaca is its sci-fi futuristic premise which manages to thrill and keep the audience in suspense. Jude Law doesn’t add much to the story, but he is always an interesting presence. Uma Thurman plays Hawke’s love interest and gives the plot a romantic side. Her chemistry with Hawke is what makes the film emotionally engaging, because without her Vincent isn’t really engaging on his own. The film succeeds thanks to its strong narrative (written by Niccol himself) and the way it manages to adapt current prejudices in society to a future we don’t want to look forward to. It gets its point across of cautioning us and delivering meaning in a similar way that classic fairy tales did when our mothers read us the stories when we were kids. It has become a classic for some over the years. It’s not among my favorite films, but it was an enjoyable ride and i’m glad I finally got around to watching it.

My Review: Boyhood (10/10)

"You don't want the bumpers, life doesn't give you bumpers."

Anyone who has read my reviews in the past will know that I have a soft spot for coming of age films, and Boyhood has just become one of my favorite films in this genre. I haven't seen any other film that captures life as authentically as Richard Linklater's Boyhood does as we literally see these characters grow up right before our eyes during the course of 12 years. You know how we're always saying that life goes by so fast and that it only felt like yesterday we were graduating from school? Well Boyhood is an excellent example of this, as we see the journey of this 6 year old boy as he begins school and we follow him for 12 years until he graduates from High School. Linklater filmed short scenes with the same actors during the course of 12 years and later edited them together to create this masterpiece which consists of well developed characters and a powerful narrative that is beautifully paced. You never really feel its two and a half hours because the narrative captures you from the very opening scene. It is a unique experience for the audience because we get to witness the passage of time for this family and become attached to them. It genuinely captures the moments in the life of this family as the mother struggles to raise her two children on her own while she goes through a couple of unsuccessful marriages leaving marks on her and her children, but it does so in such a way that it never hits a false note and always feels authentic and true to life. It could easily have entered into familiar territory, but it never does because the film avoids cliches and relies heavily on Richard Linklater's brilliant script (which deserves at least an Academy Award nomination). Boyhood is one of those rare unique films that inspires and reminds you to enjoy every moment of life. It's an experimental movie that will be difficult to match due to the monumental effort it took to direct a film like this for more than a decade, but it really pays off and becomes a rewarding experience. A film that captures the essence of life as well as this only comes in extremely rare occasions so this is one you won't want to miss. We will hear a lot about Boyhood during Award season. 

Richard Linklater has made another splash in film history adding to an already rich legacy after his experimental work with the romantic Before trilogy. Teaming up with Ethan Hawke once again, Linklater allows us to witness another cinematic achievement, although the true star of this film is newcomer Ellar Coltrane who grows as an actor right before our eyes and shines on screen. The soundtrack also plays a key role in this film and Linklater knows a thing or two about music. The way in which he incorporated it during each stage of life was moving and only added to the underlying message Linklater was getting across of art imitating life. We see this through Coltrane's performance as he grows up, falls in and out of love, feels joy and despair, while friends come and go in and out of his life. While we visually experience how quick times passes through the physical changes in the children, it is in a late scene where Patricia Arquette is having a conversation with her son that we truly understand the emotional impact that the passage of time takes on us and how these moments sometimes become just a blink. Linklater's dedication for this film really pays off and it is such a rewarding experience for the viewer. This is my first 5 star review for a 2014 film and it will be very hard for another film to equal this experience. Richard Linklater has directed several great films, but I think Boyhood is his best and most complete film because it reaches out and touches audiences everywhere. It is a universal film with universal themes. It is the purest example of art imitating life. It reminds us to stop for a moment and remember that life isn't just about getting to our destination, but more about enjoying the journey and living the moment. Boyhood is an exceptional and groundbreaking film, a must see, and a modern classic.

My Review: Getaway (1/10)

"I am not going to die for you."

The title of director Courtney Solomon's film serves as a warning for us to getaway from this movie as fast as we can. If you haven't experienced this film then you are a very fortunate person because it is by far the worst film of the year. There are so many quick cuts and over 6000 edits (when your average film has far less than 2000) that your head just begins to feel like it's going to explode. Getaway is a mind numbing experience and a B-movie that you won't even find entertaining in a guilty pleasure sort of way. It is just one gigantic 90 minute car chase, where the main character is a Shelby Super Snake Mustang. The Mustang has more depth than any of the other characters in this film. Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez deserve a Razzie for their performance here. It's a shame that Hawke wasn't allowed to write the script because he would have done a much better job than Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker. The dialogue between Hawke and Gomez was so painful that I couldn't believe one of the best films of this year also starred Hawke.  How I wish it was Delpy in that chair beside him instead of Selena Gomez, so that she could slap some sense into him. There is no reason he should have made this film (unless his wife was actually kidnapped and he was forced to star in this). 

The plot is pretty simple since the entire film is just an excuse to see fast cars chasing this marvelous and invincible Shelby Mustang. Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke) is a former race car driver living in Bulgaria who arrives home one day to find that his wife (Rebecca Budig) has been kidnapped. He receives a phone call from a mysterious man (Jon Voight) telling him to do exactly what he says if he wants to get his wife back. He is forced to steal a specific Shelby Mustang that has been wired with microphones and cameras so that the mysterious man can see his every move. He then gives Brent several suicide missions during the course of one night causing havoc in the streets while at the same time trying not to get caught by the police. The owner of the car, who is only referenced as the kid (Selena Gomez), ends up being his only ally in this mission. If Brent wants to get his wife back, he must obey the voice's every demand. 

Getaway feels at times like a video game, with several different camera angles and far too many cuts. Which is probably the opposite effect that Solomon was looking for considering he didn't include any CGI shots and had every single scene shot with real cars and real crashes. It was an interesting premise to shoot everything like this, but he overdid it and forgot about any character development. I get bored pretty easily during long car chases, so you could imagine how I felt during this 90 minute never ending chase. I was so numb that I couldn't even fully appreciate one great scene near the end where we get a two minute unedited shot from the Mustang's point of view while chasing a van. That scene was really good and it deserved to be in a better movie. It is the only reason why I will give this film half a star. The rest of Getaway is completely forgettable. The editing in this film was a complete disaster and so were the numerous and senseless plot holes.

My Review: The Purge (4/10)

"Our target for this year's purge is hiding in your home. You have one hour to find him and give him to us or we will kill all of you. We will be coming in."

In my opinion The Purge failed both as a home invasion thriller and as a social satire towards American society. It didn't work as a thriller because I never felt tension or chills during the invasion. I didn't really care for the characters in this film and it didn't bother me either way if they survived or didn't. The characters were just too dumb and commit too many mistakes, while the villains felt cartoonish at times and the psychological terror never worked like it did in The Strangers for example. The film did manage to make a respectful amount of money at the box-office so unfortunately a sequel is already in the works. The premise of this story was beyond ridiculous and director/screenwriter James DeMonaco (The Negotiator and Assault on Precinct 13) never managed to sell the futuristic story to me. I don't see a future America acting according to this law. Critics might say this wasn't meant to be real, rather more of a social satire. Well in that case it didn't work either because other films like The Hunger Games managed to make a more believable satire on today's society than The Purge did. This film tries to create cheap thrills that never work and is full of cliche moments and one dimensional characters who we really never care for. Whatever moral statement DeMonaco was trying to make I wasn't really feeling it. He kind of made a similar movie to Assault on Precinct 13 although this time he incorporated the home invasion element instead of the prison. He even had Ethan Hawke star in that film as well. The Purge doesn't have to make sense if it really achieves its goal in scaring the audience but it doesn't and therefor one begins over thinking the plot. The Purge is lazy filmmaking and a very forgettable one. 

The film takes place in 2020 and in order to combat violence the American government has allowed an annual twelve hour period in which all criminal activity is permitted (including murder). They call this day "the purge" because they believe that this way all citizens can release the tension they've kept inside during the year. In reality the people who are more vulnerable are the poor who can't defend themselves or lock themselves in their home. This way America has prospered as a society and the criminal rate is practically non existent. James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is one of those citizens who has benefited from the purge because as a security salesman he has made a lot of money selling his product. He and his family are safe thanks to the advanced security system in his home. His wife Mary (Lena Headey) and two children Charlie (Max Burkholder) and Zoey (Adelaide Kane) are locked down in their home as the purge is about to begin. It seems like it is going to be a safe night for them, but when Charlie decides to help out a stranger (Edwin Hodge) and lets him in his home things begin to get complicated for the Sandins. Will they be able to survive the night? Suddenly they don't feel safe after all.

The thrills in this film are extremely cheap and every scene seems perfectly staged. Nothing about the film feels real and the characters are far from being real human beings who we can identify with. Ethan Hawke in the lead role gives one of his worst performances to date and the kids in this film are both terrible (the characters they play, not their performance), they make one stupid decision after another. The dialogue doesn't work either and the villains in this film are a joke. Rhys Wakefield tries to play a villain in a similar way as Heath Ledger played the Joker but it really didn't work at all. Even the continuity in this film is a mess. Everything happens in one night and Ethan Hawke starts off with a clean shave and halfway through the movie he has a goatee. The other problem I had with this film is that these rich people instead of spending so much money on a security system could've simply left the country for one day and returned without having to worry about anything. These sort of things I probably wouldn't have questioned if the thrills would've worked, but since the film begins to drag and feel dull you begin to question things. The Purge doesn't live up to other home invasion thrillers and I'm afraid that as a satire it doesn't say anything new about society's culture and obsession over violence.  After this movie is over with you  will want to purge yourself of the memory of having spent 85 minutes watching this unimaginative film.

Rating: 4,1/10

My Review: Before Midnight (9/10)

"Like sunlight, sunset, we appear, we disappear. We are so important to some, but we are just passing through."

It has been 18 years since Jesse and Celine first met on a train and had their lives changed with that encounter, as did ours because Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy created one of the most authentic romantic and memorable relationship on film. This is the third film of the franchise and in my opinion it is the best one because it feels even more real than the previous two. The previous films focused more on a romanticized idea of love, but here the tone of the film shifts as we see this couple facing true challenges in their relationship. There is no doubt these two characters love each other deeply, but that doesn't mean their love is perfect. In Before Midnight we are at a stage in Jesse and Celine's relationship where they have some important issues to resolve. Their relationship is on the verge of a breakdown due to several problems they never dealt with until now and have really escalated. The performances are so good that you never feel like you are watching a movie; it is more like a documentary about a couple facing some serious problems in their relationship that they are trying to resolve through communication. I don't think I've seen better dialogues about relationships than I saw in Before Midnight. There were some very emotional moments and overall I thought these 3 films complemented each other very well. 

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) have decided to live together after their encounter 9 years ago in Paris. Jesse left his wife and son to live with Celine who immediately got pregnant with twins. In the present the couple is spending time in a vacation home in Greece with a writer who has invited the family to spend the summer with him and his friends. The film opens at the airport where Jesse is saying goodbye to his son, Hank (Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick), who is returning to America after visiting his father. On their way back to their vacation home Jesse discusses with Celine how fast his son has grown and how bad he feels about not being able to be near him during these critical years in his life. Celine doesn't want to return to America because they tried that in the past and it didn't work. She also has a great job opportunity at home, and this minor argument seems to only be the tip of the iceberg in their relationship problems. They are as cute as ever together, but there are still many unresolved issues that really put their relationship on the verge of failure. Despite it all this still is a very romantic film that explores new ground in the Before trilogy.  

It has been a great deal of pleasure being able to walk alongside this fantastic couple through the different European cities and listening to what these two have to say to each other about love, life, and relationships. They are so good together that it never becomes tiring or tedious to sit through. In this third film I felt like they were at their best together. The arguments felt so real and authentic that it sometimes was uncomfortable to sit through because we really want to see these two work their issues out. Like any other couple they say hurtful things to each other and that really builds the tension in this film because they are so charming together that we really want the two to find a way to resolve their issues as soon as possible. I really loved the ending in this film and thought it was a perfect tie to the first film. It was the best film of the trilogy, but you won't appreciate it as much if you haven't seen the first two movies to fully understand what is at stake here. Before Midnight is one of the year's best films and amongst Linklater's best movies. It is a heartwarming, raw, and funny movie about love and relationships with some terrific performances.

My Review: Before Sunset (8/10)

"Life's hard. It's supposed to be. If we didn't suffer, we'd never learn anything."

Before Sunrise felt like such a perfect romantic movie that many people had doubts about reuniting these characters nine years later and making a sequel, but fear not because Richard Linklater gives un another perfect story and both Delpy and Hawke are magnificent together. I imagine that everyone that had seen the film back in 1995 made their own conclusions of wether or not these two lovers met six months later like they planned, but now Linklater decides to tell us what happened exactly. I didn't have to think too much about it because I saw Sunrise yesterday, watched Sunset today, and now will get to watch Midnight. I thought this was a perfect sequel to Sunrise and pretty much follows a similar plot line, but with more mature conversations now that the characters have aged. I imagine that those people that had to wait nine years between each sequel probably had a much richer experience than those of us who simply got to see these films in one week, especially those viewers who were about 23 years old in 1995 and matured at sort of the same rate these characters did. In Before Sunset the characters are in their 30's which is the age I'm at now so I related much more to what they were saying this time around. The first film was nostalgic, reminding me how I thought when I was their age, but this time I could identify with them in the present. Looking back and remembering those connections you made with someone and realizing that those connections are hard to come across now that you are older. I guess in a way you value things more now that perhaps in the past you wouldn't. Linklater succeeds once again at bringing a really romantic tale to the big screen.

In Before Sunrise Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met as strangers in a train and spent a night together wandering the streets of Vienna. Before Sunset takes place nine years later as Jesse is at the end of his European book tour in Paris. He has written an autobiographical book about his encounter with Celine although he never admits that the events are true. When he finishes talking about his book he is surprised to see Celine there waiting for him. She lives in Paris and had heard he was going to be speaking at that book store so she decided to go see him. Jesse has to be back at the airport in an hour, but the two get together once again for a cup of coffee and a walk through the streets of Paris while they talk about their life, work, and relationships. They also let us know what happened that day they were supposed to reunite in Vienna. 

If there's something negative I could say about Before Sunset it's that it is way too short and you wish the characters could have spent at least half an hour longer together. This time the film and the events that take place are in real time so you have several long shots (the longest one is 11 minutes long) and few editing going on. The film isn't as brilliant to look at, but it is a great conversation to eavesdrop. The chemistry is strong again and this time there is more conversation and less passion, but it works really well. Before Sunset never felt like a forced sequel; it was more of a continuation of that movie and hopefully I will feel the same way about Before Midnight. Linklater was nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay and deservingly so with the contribution of Hawke and Delpy who also co-wrote this film. Before Sunset is a beautiful and romantic film that is well worth your time. 

My Review: Before Sunrise (8/10)

"I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away."

Before Sunrise is a brilliant film about a young man and a young woman who meet in a train and spend an entire night together sharing their views on life while they walk around the streets of Vienna. It might seem like a pretty simple film, but Richard Linklater managed to create a unique and special relationship between these two characters thanks to a great script and an incredible chemistry between the two lead performers. Linklater co-wrote the script with Kim Krizan and every single dialogue in this film felt completely real and authentic. This is a very special movie that might seem simplistic but is really complicated because it's difficult to maintain the audience's attention in a film where two characters are speaking to each other without anything actually happening. The real climax and suspense in this film is seeing how time is running out for these characters and knowing this is probably the only night they will get to share together. Anyone who has gone out alone with another couple knows that it can be very boring spending time with them, but you never feel this way about Jesse and Celine because their conversations are so interesting that one wouldn't mind spending time with them and just observing how they interact with each other. That is how I felt about this authentically romantic film.

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a young American tourist in Europe who has been traveling across Europe in train. His next stop is Vienna where he will spend the night and take the morning plane back home. Celine (Julie Delpy), a young French woman is returning on the same train from visiting her grandmother. Jesse and Celine exchange glances and begin flirting with each other. When the train arrives at Vienna, Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train with him and spend the night sightseeing. She agrees and the film focuses its entire attention on the interaction they have with each other during that night before sunrise while they visit different spots in Vienna. They have some great and deep conversations about love, relationships, and life. They both know this will probably be their only night together, which is a shame because they share a really strong connection together.

The film is so brutally honest and authentic that Before Sunrise has become a classic for romanticists everywhere and it inspired two more follow up films by director Linklater. Linklater first came to the attention with his film Slackers and later Dazed and Confused, but his Before trilogy will probably be what he will be remembered for. He has also directed completely different genre films like School of Rock and Bernie. My personal favorite of his is Bernie, but Before Sunrise comes in a close second. I'm all set for Before Sunset now and am thankful I didn't have to wait 9 years to see the resolution of this sweet couple's story. This is a bittersweet movie and it portrays love and relationships in such an authentic way that it stands out as one of the greatest examples of how a romantic film must be made. A few scenes stand out above the rest for me, like the scene where Celine and Jesse have an imaginary conversation with each other as if they were talking to their best friends about their adventure (some important plot points are explained here as to why Jesse was in the train and why Celine agreed to get off with him), and the scene where Jesse makes fun of Celine for believing in the fortune teller's words. There are some really touching and sweet conversations and Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy give great and memorable performances. Not only the dialogues worked, but the non-verbal conversation between them was outstanding. Before Sunrise is a must see!

My Review: Sinister (6/10)

¨Get the kids. Pack the car. We have to leave here now.¨

It`s a known fact that before watching a horror movie you have to leave your brain out of the room. I usually hate horror movies because I find them predictable and dumb. Most of the leading characters end up making really bad decisions. These rules aren't the exception with Sinister. The film has several plot holes (like how the police officers can’t make the connections between the murders in the first place) and it also has the leading character making one terrible decision after another. Despite all that, and a terrible ending, I still found some sort of enjoyment in this film. It did manage to scare me in a couple of scenes and for that I must give credit to a horror movie. It`s really hard to find a scary movie nowadays, and Sinister did manage to make me jump on a few occasions. By no means am I saying that this is a great film, but I will admit that it was enjoyable for at least more than half of the film. Sinister was directed by Scott Derrickson who also directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose. This film also deals with supernatural powers, but is much more violent and spooky. There are several scenes of homemade video murders that will give you some goose bumps. The screenplay was written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill. Like in most films of this genre the easy part is to find some spooky scenes, the difficult part is to find a decent ending to put everything together. Sinister fails to find a satisfying ending, had it found one it could have been one of the best horror films in a long time. I can’t recommend Sinister unless you are a huge fan of the genre; otherwise it is yet another forgettable picture.

The movie opens with what looks to be a homemade video of a family being hung over a tree in their backyard. Then we are introduced to the main character: Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) who is moving in to the house where the horrific murders took place. Oswalt is a true-crime novelist who became famous for his first book on a crime he investigated in Kentucky. His next books didn’t have the same success so he and his family are going through some rough times economically. The reason Ellison wants to move to this house is because he thinks he can write another powerful novel on the horrific murders that took place in the house. Moving to that same house would be a great start for his investigation. His wife, Tracy (Juliet Ryliance) and their two children Ashley (Clare Foley) and Trevor (Michael Hall D´Addario) do not know about the terrible murders that took place in that same house, and Ellison tries to keep it that way. Once they arrive at the house, Ellison finds a box containing a projector and several super 8 films of footage from horrific murders (including the murder in his own house which we saw at the beginning of the movie). This all seems as great material for his next book as he begins to investigate each one of these murders and finds some connections between them, but the more he digs deeper into the case the more strange things begin to get around the house. The question he has to ask himself is whether he and his family can remain safe there.

The film has some interesting premises but it does get very predictable half way through the movie. Sometimes I just felt like hitting Ellison for all the terrible decision he was making (so typical in a horror film. Ethan Hawke gives a pretty solid lead performance, despite all the mistakes he makes you still end up caring for him. He is really the only character that is developed in the story. The rest of the cast you could really care less for, especially the wife who I didn’t like one bit. I thought Ryliance`s performance wasn’t really up to par with Hawke`s. The chemistry between them was nonexistent. The kid actors were good, but they really weren’t developed at all. The entire film was focused around Hawke and his investigation of the murders. There were a few other supporting characters, but none really worth a mention. Sinister has a terrible ending and that really cost the film in my opinion because it did have some potential. It isn’t a great horror film, but it probably is the best one of the year.

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